{"id":9418,"date":"2020-10-21T15:57:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T15:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiqets-blog-staging.local\/facts-about-toronto\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T10:45:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T10:45:35","slug":"facts-about-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/facts-about-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Facts About Toronto That Will Make You Want to Go There","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the schoolyard, any clique can be traversed by a common interest: whispered dissemination of the latest swear word (usually learned from someone\u2019s older sibling), a lunchtime game of tag, or \u2013 best of all \u2013 a huddled mass of children over the latest book of World Records or little-known fun facts. For those of us who look back on those days fondly, there\u2019s still an innocent pleasure to be found in devouring new information \u2013 and for a traveler, the best way to orient yourself in a new city is to have a smattering of wisdom up your sleeve to be spontaneous, but not so much that the mystique of the destination is dimmed. Start planning your next vacation in Canada by taking a sneaky peek at these fun facts about Toronto, one of the biggest and most beloved cities in North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toronto Fact #1: This is the most multicultural city in the world.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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So you’re here for facts about Toronto? How’s this: A staggering half of the city\u2019s population was born outside of Canada. People from around the world have migrated here for a number of reasons, notably because it ranks as the 7th<\/sup> most livable city in the world. The result? Toronto boasts some 200+ ethnic groups who speak over 180 languages and dialects, making it one of the most diverse and welcoming cities in the world too. How do you say \u2018woo!\u2019 in Spanish\/Swahili\/Arabic\/Australian?

Not only does this make for a vibrant city energy, the cultural melting pot of Toronto offers no shortage of neighbourhoods with their own customs and styles, just begging to be explored. Zip around Little Italy, Chinatown, Greektown, Little India or Roncesvalles Village (also known as Little Poland) to soak up the vastly unique energies or enjoy an authentic meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toronto Fact #2<\/strong><\/strong>: Toronto had the tallest skyscraper in the world\u2026 for a while.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by Jelique Edward<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by Tyrone Murphy<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the lesser known facts about Toronto: For a long time, the CN Tower stood on a tall pedestal (boom-tish<\/em>) compared to other skyscrapers around the world. Ascending to a dizzying 553.3 metres (1,815 feet) in height, the CN Tower was the tallest freestanding structure in the world from the moment it was built in 1973, until 2007, when Dubai had to do as Dubai does by snatching the record with the construction of the Burj Khalifa.

Today, the CN Tower is the ninth-tallest free-standing structure, but whatever it lost in the rise and fall of competitive architectural classifications, it more than makes up for by being counted as one of the Modern 7 Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers, who probably know what they\u2019re talking about.

The CN Tower is the star attraction in Toronto, drawing 1.5 million tourists a year to securely self-induce vertigo on the glass-bottom viewing platform, stare out at Niagara Falls on a clear sunny day, or enjoy a very Jetsons-style<\/a> dining experience at the 360\u00b0 rotating restaurant. It\u2019s the key feature of the Toronto skyline, but it sits in good company alongside 160 completed skyscrapers and over 100 more that are still under construction. Though construction takes place in Toronto at a cracking pace, we can all but guarantee none of these buildings will tower over (double boom-tish<\/em>) this fabulous attraction any time soon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toronto Fact #<\/strong>3: Niagara Falls is a hop, skip and a barrel-roll away from the city.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There aren\u2019t many people who hear \u2018Niagara Falls\u2019<\/a> and don\u2019t instantly think of a man plummeting down its rapids in a barrel. But what might surprise you is this legend was forged not by some strapping young lad at the turn of last century, but a 63-year-old woman! In 1901, a school teacher named Annie Edson Taylor<\/a> careened down the Falls in a barrel on her 63rd birthday and survived with only minor bleeding. Presumably because even whatever deity she believed in was too shocked by her audacity to take her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do something so dangerous in 1901, when life jackets were far from commonplace \u2013 and largely still made of cork and other kinds of wood \u2013 speaks to either brass ovaries or sheer dumb stupidity. So what was Taylor\u2019s reason?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you put your money on \u2018sheer dumb stupidity\u2019, reward yourself with a sage reminder that some things never change: It was a publicity stunt, though not entirely ill-advised. Based on her desire to secure herself financially in her later years, coupled with the slew of ways in which Taylor was ripped off, robbed or otherwise exploited seemingly every time she tried to profit from her pioneering spirit, one can almost sympathise with how hard she worked the original hustle ethic, in light of her limited success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To her credit, our Queen of Brass Ovaries did curtly remark after the fact of her feat: \u201cNo one ought ever do that again.\u201d And, as is human nature, her words went unheeded by a dizzying parade of fellow daredevils \u2013 some who lived, some who didn\u2019t \u2013 ever after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if staring over the Niagara Falls from the top of the CN Tower didn\u2019t quite scratch the itch, a trip right to its precipice (but not over it \u2013 things have changed since the good old days!) is highly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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